Why is it that none of these glowing articles about the future of TV over the internet address the problem of internet congestion? A recent report stated that 20% of all internet download traffic during peak evening hours is attributable to Netflix streaming. What happens if this really catches on? And, with more Netflix videos in so-called “HD?” Consumers will sure love it when their internet slows down to a crawl.
By the way, I don’t need any of these fancy boxes. I have an HDMI cable from my computer (1080p output) to my 46″ flatscreen TV. The only time I have ever watched Netflix instant play movies is on vacation on my laptop. The selection has been substandard (although I gather it’s improving), and worse, the picture quality is pitiful on a large screen (even the “HD”) compared to a Blu Ray disk, or even a regular DVD. I can record any shows I want on my Dish Network HD DVR.

General commentary: short and simple, the market for these devices and services exists because people don’t want to pay high prices for TV shows, movies, sports, and news. They want their cable, satellite, or telco bill to be lower. It’s a tall order for these “over the top” companies because the content owners, e.g. movie studios, are only increasing their prices, not decreasing them. To succeed as a mainstream offering, Netflix and Roku and the like must distribute those expensive TV shows, movies, sports, and news programs at a lower price (and, quite likely, a lower profit margin) than the pay TV operators currently charge. Assuming that the technology for conveying these programs via the public internet improves, so do the chances of these start-up providers to succeed. However, the price of good content is very unlikely to go down. To all of the contenders, may the market bear you success!

I’m going to let these huge companies sort out their competition and I’ll buy a new integrated tv a few years from now. None of my friends are talking about what tv box they’re going to buy because in my opinion, the everyday person who isn’t reading into tech blogs doesn’t understand differences between google tv, apple tv, and all the other stuff you’ve mentioned. All I really want is a tv that I can turn on and use a simple remote to find any movie or any tv show that ever existed and click ‘play’. Is it really that hard to accomplish? I guess so…

ivi TV will not go down in flames but, rather, will rewrite the television landscape forever, right when it needed it most. We have just spent the last two days in New Orleans at the CTAM Summit meeting with executives from the cable TV industry. While a few clearly feel threatened by us, many also see the upside and understand that we are a new revenue stream and a legitimate new distribution method. As one studio executive put it, the lawsuit is just an intense means of negotiating with us — but ivi TV is not going away.

You are wrong about Apple TV. It’s no longer a hobby. This retired guy is giving an Apple TV to all his relatives. Have you even checked into the Netflix library? It is huge and improving dramatically, and so is it’s stock price. You should know that Netflix just signed a $9 billion deal over three years with MGM and a couple of other studios for major portions of their library as it comes available. This will drive people to buy Apple TV and then to other Apple products, which is Apple’s goal. For example, when my sister sees me display my slide shows and home movies on the big screen TV along with seeing the movies available from Apple and Netflix, she will not only want those services she’ll dump her HP laptop and buy an Apple laptop. Why? Because, it is easier to build Apple slide shows, and movies and place them in the cloud, in mobileME and show them anywhere. Apple has got it together. Please go visit an Apple store, before you write more articles on this subject.

Comcast owns NBC, correct? Comcast owns their own pipeline correct? Comcast is already connected to thousands of homes and have contract with major sports leagues with season pass subscriptions, correct? Or pay-per-view features with movie studios, correct?